Faculty Resources

Methods for delivery

The ways in which you can deliver materials to students can vary a little, but generally speaking you will use one of four available course platforms: Coursework, Class2Go, Venture Lab, or Coursera. These platforms offer an array of content delivery, assignment, and activity types, and can handle any size course, from the very small to the very big. Unless you have a compelling reason to choose one platform from the outset, we recommend outlining your course first, then consulting with SMILI support staff to find the platform that best suits your goals. Keep reading for more information on choosing a platform.

How to choose a platform

The biggest factor in choosing your platform will likely be whether it will be a public or private course. For private courses, you can use Coursework, Class2Go or Venture Lab, but Class2Go currently uses YouTube to host videos. You can also use Class2Go and Venture Lab to hold parallel and simultaneous courses if you're holding an on campus course and doing the MOOC at the same time. We caution those interested in teaching parallel courses that this is a lot of work.

Platform options

Coursework - Stanford's learning management system. Good for materials that are not public.

OpenEdX - Stanford's massive online course system that can also be used for local courses.

Coursera - Currently the largest massive open online course (MOOC) community.

NovoEd - A more recent addition to the MOOC world, with emphasis on team learning.